SOCIAL landlords across Yorkshire are teaming up to highlight tenancy fraud and urge residents to blow the whistle on cheats.

Yorkshire and Humber Tenancy Fraud Forum will run its awareness week between February 3 and February 7. Figures show 98,000 housing association and council homes across the UK are believed to be occupied by somebody who should not be living there or who has obtained their tenancy fraudulently, such as through unlawful sub-letting, obtaining a home by deception or wrongly claiming succession after a person dies.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is supporting the initiative and drop-in sessions will be held during the week, including at Bridlington Town Hall next Monday and the council’s customer service centre in Cross Street, Beverley, next Tuesday, both between 10am and 1pm.

Anybody wanting to report tenancy fraud in East Yorkshire should phone 01482 394949 or email tenancyfraud@eastriding.gov.uk